Archive for 2015
Shii News – Academic Items
1.Associate or Full Professorship in Global Political Economy, with Asia / Middle East Focus, Leiden University
Appointment will be fixed-term from July 2016 for a period of maximally four years, with the possibility of a permanent position thereafter. Requirements: A PhD degree in a relevant field; a strong research and publication record; specialist expertise on Asia or the Middle East, including proficiency in one or more Asian or Middle Eastern languages; an excellent command of English etc.
Deadline for application: 25 January 2016. Information: http://werkenbij.leidenuniv.nl/vacatures/wetenschappelijke-functies/15-428-vacatureuniversiteitleiden-associate-or-fulprofessor-global-political-economy.html
2. Doctoral Spring School 2016: “Reviving Previous Times and Expanding Horizons: Islam and Modernity in Global Historical Perspective”, Istanbul, 14-18 March 2016
The Centre for Near and Middle Eastern Studies (CNMS, Islamic Studies/Iranian Studies) at the University of Marburg, in cooperation with AKMED, NISIS, IFEA, IISMM/EHESS, Koç University, NIT and RCAC, organizes this Spring School. PhD candidates active in the field of Near and Middle East – as well as Islamic Studies are invited to apply.
Application deadline: 15 January 2016. Information: www.uni-marburg.de/cnms/aktuelles/newsitemext.2015-12-21.3519528590
3. 2 PhD Scholarships: “The Poetics of Aristotle between Europe and Islam. A Multilingual Edition with Studies of the Cultural Contexts of the Syriac, Arabic, Hebrew, and Latin Translations”, Berlin Graduate School Muslim Cultures and Societies (BGSMCS), February 2016 – February 2019
The formal requirement for application is a university honours degree reflecting a level of attainment that is above average. The degree should be in one of the disciplines relevant to the project (Arab and/or Islamic Studies etc.)
Deadline for application: 31 January 2016. Information: www.bgsmcs.fu-berlin.de/en/studies/application/cfa_phd_einstein.html
4. Articles on “Studying the Everyday in the Arab World: Power, Performance and Survival” for Special Issue of “Middle East Critique”
This issue will reflect on how the study of everyday life is a fundamental site for studying the dynamics of power, survival, resistance, social change and all those aspects that are defined as politics. The focus is twofold: firstly, to understand how the site of everyday life helps to study politics in the Arab world; secondly, to engage theoretically with the notion of the everyday in order to unpack its significance.
Deadline for abstracts: 30 March 2016. Information: http://explore.tandfonline.com/cfp/pgas/mec-cfp
5. International Journal of Islamic Architecture
The ninth issue of the IJIA is available in print and online. Please click on the link below to preview the ninth issue abstracts: www.intellectbooks.com/ijia. For full-text articles, see Ingenta: www.ingentaconnect.com.
This volume contains an editorial by the academic editor, Hasan-uddin Khan; Abidin Kusno’s commentary on invisible geographies in the study of Islamic architecture; book and exhibition reviews; conference précis; and articles that discuss the work of the Balyan Family in nineteenth century Istanbul and their Parisian education; the Jordan Gate Towers of Amman as an example of neoliberal urbanism; the role expertise played in the Israeli Plan for Rebuilding the Qazvin Region in Iran; the work of Doxiadis Associates in postcolonial Pakistan (1958–1968); and the restoration of a forgotten Mughal Tomb in Kashmir.
6. A new title in the “Islamic Art in the Mediterranean” series is now available:
THE AYYUBID ERA: ART AND ARCHITECTURE IN MEDIEVAL SYRIA
This new MWNF Travel Book was conceived not long before the war started. All texts refer to the pre-war situation and are our expression of hope that Syria, a land that witnessed the evolution of civilisation since the beginnings of human history, may soon become a place of peace and the driving force behind a new and peaceful beginning for the entire region.
Bilad al-Sham testifies to a thorough and strategic programme of urban reconstruction and reunification during the 12th and 13th centuries. Amidst a period of fragmentation, visionary leadership came with the Atabeg Nur al-Din Zangi. He revived Syria’s cities as safe havens to restore order. His most agile Kurdish general, Salah al-Din (Saladin), assumed power after he died and unified Egypt and Sham into one force capable of re-conquering Jerusalem from the Crusaders. The Ayyubid Empire flourished and continued the policy of patronage. Though shortlived, this era held long-lasting resonance for the region. Its recognisable architectural aesthetic
– austere, yet robust and perfected – survived until modern times.
“The Ayyubid Era: Art and Architecture in Medieval Syria” describes eight thematic Itineraries including, among others, the cities of Damascus, Bosra, Homs, Hama, Aleppo and Raqqa.
250 colour illustrations | 25 plans of monuments | 288 pages
The MWNF Travel Books are researched and written by local scholars and convey history, art and culture from the local perspective.
For further details please refer to this page: http://www.mwnfbooks.net/books_detail.php?booklngid=41;en&
7. The Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT is seeking presenters for a session at the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES) Annual Conference 13-15 July 2016 at University of Wales, Lampeter
Our panel will explore the functions and structures of the nodes and networks operating within North Africa and the Middle East, as well as the networks that connect people in those places with others outside the region. The networks may be historical or contemporary, and the means through which they function may be considered from a variety of contexts and perspectives. For example, papers may consider how real world or cyber nodes and networks have functioned in the growth and development of cities, the diffusion of knowledge and culture, the creation of communities, organizing social actions, etc. Papers may approach the subject with temporal or geographic specificity, or they may take a comparative view. Topics to explore may include one or more of the following questions:
- How have networks and nodes functioned in patterns of urbanization or the diffusion and adaptation of knowledge or culture through the history of Muslim societies?
- How can these networks best be mapped or represented?
- How can a consideration of nodes and networks be useful in understanding these processes?
- To what extent are these networks intersecting, interdependent or overlapping?
- How are historical and physical networks analogous to informational technology and online social networking?
- Do nodes on networks reinforce or undermine dichotomies such as center/periphery and metropole/colony?
- Can centers of education be considered nodes in networks of knowledge? How do these physical structures compare to those in cyberspace?
- What does an analysis of networks, historical or virtual, reveal about social and political structures?
This list is not exhaustive, and other topics may be considered.Participants will fund their own travel and participation. Proposals should be less than 500 words and submitted via email to Sharon C. Smith (scsmith@mit.edu) and Michael A. Toler (mtoler@mit.edu) .Include a brief biographical paragraph or abbreviated CV of no more than one page. Proposals should be submitted as early as possible, but no later than 25 January 2016. Proposals received after that date cannot be considered.
8. Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München – Doctoral Fellow in
History, Theology, Jewish Studies or Religious Studies
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=52370
University of Oxford – Departmental Lecturer, Islamic Studies
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=52339
University of Maine – Augusta – History Faculty Vacancy
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=52376
Gallaudet University – Assistant Professor, East Asia, South Asia, or
Middle East History
http://www.h-net.org/jobs/job_display.php?id=52369
- December 31, 2015
- by Andrew Newman
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- December 30, 2015
- by Andrew Newman
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- December 29, 2015
- by Andrew Newman
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- December 29, 2015
- by Andrew Newman
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Shii News – Academic Items
1. THE AGA KHAN PROGRAM FOR ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE (AKPIA) AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE ITS POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATESHIP PROGRAM FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2016-2017.
The Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture is pleased to invite applications for self-supported Associateships to conduct advanced historical research in Islamic art, architecture, and archaeology at Harvard University. AKPIA Associateships are intended principally for overseas scholars–preferably, but not exclusively, from Muslim countries–to support research in art and architectural history and archaeology. Our program is not intended to sponsor professional design, conservation, or urban development projects, nor are they intended to support research travel. The recipient is expected to be in residence, except for one or two short research-related trips. Please note–these are unpaid Associate positions.
We welcome applications both from senior scholars and from recent graduates. Research projects should preferably be publishable in the annual publication of the Aga Khan Program, Muqarnas: An Annual on the Visual Cultures of the Islamic World. It is potentially publishable, original projects that will be given preference.
AKPIA Associates have an affiliation with Harvard University’s Department of History of Art and Architecture (HAA). They are free to pursue their own research without any obligations other than presenting a public lecture on their research project–as part of the AKPIA lecture series, A Forum for Islamic Art and Architecture–and submitting an article based on the research at Harvard for consideration by the editor for publication in Muqarnas. AKPIA Associates have access to all Harvard University libraries, museums, and facilities; they are also welcome to audit Harvard seminars, if they so choose.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS
Applicants must have a doctoral degree (PhD, DPhil, or equivalent). A solid command of written and spoken English is required (your AKPIA lecture will be delivered in English). Associates must remain in Cambridge for the duration of the appointment.
REQUIRED MATERIALS
Application materials must be submitted in hard copy, or via email in a single message; the Committee will not consider incomplete applications or applications submitted after the deadline: March 1, 2016.
The following materials are required of applicants:
Completed, signed application form (2 copies)
Curriculum vitae (2 copies)
Research proposal (2 copies)
Two different writing samples of previous research publications (2 copies each)
*Letters of recommendation from two professors or scholars familiar with the applicant’s research (1 copy each)
*Original transcripts—when possible—in sealed enveloped from institutions where graduate work was conducted (1 per institution) Copies of original transcripts will be considered
* Letters of recommendation and transcripts may be mailed directly to the Program from the institutions or recommenders (preferred), may be sent by a professional dossier and credentials service (such as Interfolio), or may be included with the other application materials in their original, sealed envelopes. Letter writers may also email their letters directly to agakhan@fas.harvard.edu. All other materials should be submitted together in a single envelope/package or via a single email message.
Materials should be mailed to:
Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture
Harvard University
Attn: AKPIA Associate Program
485 Broadway, Sackler 412
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
Alternately, materials may be emailed in a single email message to: agakahn@fas.harvard.edu
DEADLINE
All application materials must be received by March 1, 2016. Results will be announced by mid-May.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Please direct any inquires about the AKPIA Associateships at Harvard University to agakhan@fas.harvard.edu or 617-495-2355.
2. Position: Arcapita Visiting Professor (open rank)
Institution: Columbia University
Location: New York, NY
Application Deadline: March 4, 2016
The Middle East Institute and the Department of Middle Eastern, South
Asian and African Studies at Columbia University invite applications for
an appointment as Arcapita Visiting Professor of Modern Arab Studies for
a one-semester position for the fall 2016 or spring 2017 semester.
The position may be filled at the rank of Visiting Assistant Professor,
Visiting Associate Professor, or Visiting Professor. We are interested
in candidates whose field of research and teaching is in history,
culture, or social sciences of the modern Arab world.
The incumbent will be expected to teach two courses, participate in the
activities of the Middle East Institute, and give a brown bag lecture
and other such public lectures as may be appropriate.
A Ph.D., a record of scholarly publications, and proven teaching
experience in English are required by the beginning of the appointment.
Experience teaching at a university in the Middle East highly preferred.
or additional information and to submit your application, please visit
our Recruitment of Academic Personnel System (RAPS) website
http://bit.ly/1YZfv8W
Review of submissions will begin immediately.
Columbia University is an equal opportunity /affirmative action employer.
3. Call for Papers
International Börklüce Mustafa Symposium (June 2-5, 2016, Izmir)
Izmir Mediterranean Academy
Conference web site: http://www.izmeda.org/Pages/Sempozyum.aspx?id=72
Deadline for the submission of abstracts: December 29, 2015
2016 marks the six hundredth anniversary of an event, which demonstrated that rebellion as a widespread form of protest was not a peculiarly Western European phenomenon, that it was just as common in the Eastern Mediterranean and just as natural to its history. In 1416, under the leadership of Börklüce Mustafa, the peasants of Karaburun / Stylarion (Izmir) rose up with demands of common living and common use of property; demands that were widely popular in Europe, too. The Rebellion of Karaburun had large effects in both shores of the Aegean. Often, the 1416 uprising is referred to as the Rebellion of Sheikh Bedreddin, who was hanged as the leader of the Balkan leg of the rebellion, which was suppressed before it began. Yet, it seems more appropriate to approach the history of this great uprising as the history of all its actors and of all the circumstances effective in their mobilization, rather than as the biography of a few individuals. This way, we can more comprehensively contextualize this momentous event which revealed that history from below and history of the below is possible for the Ottoman world as well, that Ottoman history is not simply the “history of the Ottomans”.
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality has decided to commemorate in 2016 the six hundredth anniversary of the Rebellion as “Year of Börklüce Mustafa” accompanying with several social and cultural events. One of the events will be the Börklüce Mustafa Symposium that will be organized under the responsibility of Izmir Mediterranean Academy (http://www.izmeda.org). The Symposium aims to discuss the 1416 Rebellion within the above-mentioned context by means of historical, geographical and historiographical comparisons and encounters. The objective is to question local dynamics and discuss universal characteristics of the Rebellion from partly diverging, partly intersecting perspectives.
The Izmir Mediterranean Academy invites you to sent paper proposals in line with the subjects cited below. Symposium will be composed of papers of invited researchers and the papers selected by the Organization Committee (http://www.izmeda.org/Pages/Sempozyum.aspx?id=71) among the proposals. Contributions are expected to be twenty-minute long and presented in English or Turkish. The proceedings of the Symposium will be published.
For the conceptual framework of the Symposium please visit
http://www.izmeda.org/Pages/Sempozyum.aspx?id=70 (in Turkish)
http://www.izmeda.org/Pages/Sempozyum.aspx?id=62 (in English)
Main themes specified in the Symposium are as follows:
-Discussions and new approaches in the historiography of Börklüce Mustafa Rebellion
-New approaches and methodological and theoretical overtures in the history of rebellions
-Social dynamics in the end of the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth centuries Mediterranean and Europe: feudal society; economic and social crises; rebellions; wars; population movements
-Social dynamics in the end of the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth centuries Karaburun, Izmir, Anatolia and Balkans: Social mobility in Ottoman, Byzantine and Mongolian geography; economic and social crises; rebellions; wars; population movements; terminology of the period (keşiş, torlak, abdal, baldırı çıplak, etc.)
-Economic and social dynamics of the Rebellion and claims of common living and common use of property: slavery/serfdom/peasantry; sipahis/margraves/ seigneurs/ landlords; land regime; transformations in has, timar and vakıf holdings; attacks towards the commons and reactions against them; crisis and poverty; anti-feodal movements of the period; piracy; social banditism
-Historical topography: topographic researches and discussions on the geography of the Rebellion
-Rebellions and uprisings in the Anatolia and Balkans in the historical perspective from Börklüce Mustafa to Celalis, from Ilinden to Gezi
Title and abstract (300 words) delivery date: December 29, 2015
Papers deadline: April 15, 2016
Symposium date: June 2-5, 2016
Application form for proposals could be found at
http://www.izmeda.org/Pages/Sempozyum.aspx?id=76 (in Turkish)
http://www.izmeda.org/Pages/Sempozyum.aspx?id=75 (in English)
Contact:
Izmir Mediterranean Academy
Phone: +90 (232) 293 46 06
E-mail: info@izmeda.org
4. On-line Resource
Duke University Libraries, Ottoman-Turkish Literature (on Internet Archive)
https://archive.org/details/dulturk&tab=collection
5. The MEI Library’s Digital Collection
The Oman Library at the Middle East Institute is pleased to announce the
launch of its new Digital Collection, a browsable database of rare books
that can be read online and downloaded for free.
The topics of the collection range from history and culture to works of
fiction from the early twentieth century, with materials in seven
different languages — English, Arabic, French, Farsi, Urdu, Ottoman
Turkish, and Turkish — spanning the period from 1700 to 1921.
At launch there are already more than 70 books available for viewings
online, with hundreds more lined up to be scanned and digitized and
added to the database on a rolling basis each week, so you can check
back frequently to see what’s new.
*A few of the English titles available now:*
* “Nineveh and its palaces,” 1852
* “Cairo: Sketches of its history, monuments, and social life,” 1892
* “Travels to the city of the caliphs, along the shores of the
Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean,” 1840
* “Description of Mesopotamia and Baghdad,” 1895
The Digital Collection was made possible by a grant from Saudi Aramco.
The first project of its kind for MEI and the Oman Library, the
digitization process utilizes a high resolution scanner to make hundreds
of books, manuscripts, and materials spanning MEI’s history available
online for scholars and researchers anywhere in the world.
6. Lectureship in Arabic Literature and Culture, Leiden University
The successful candidate will have a PhD degree in a relevant field as well as research experience in the Middle East, and familiarity with modern and contemporary cultural developments in the region; an excellent command of Arabic and English. Proficiency in other languages of the Middle East is an advantage;
Deadline for application: 18 January 2016. Information:
http://werkenbij.leidenuniv.nl/vacatures/wetenschappelijke-functies/15-407-vacature-universiteit-leiden-university-lectureship-in-arabic-literature-and-culture.html
7. Luce Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill – http://mideast.unc.edu/hartford-seminary-luce-professor-of-islamic-studies-and-christian-muslim-relations/
8. MA Intellectual Encounters of the Islamicate World
The aim of the MA Intellectual Encounters of the Islamicate World is to provide international graduate students with a thorough understanding of the deep and diverse links between the Muslim, Jewish and Christian intellectual contributions during the Medieval period. The program is therefore characterised by a strongly research-driven, interdisciplinary and interreligious approach with an emphasis on primary texts in the original language (Arabic). Students will be trained and mentored by internationally renowned guest lecturers who are counted among the leading experts in their respective fields of research.
The primarily web-based MA program also includes three face-to-face sessions per academic year during which the students and teachers will actually come together for several days/a couple of weeks for discussion, teaching and examination.
Freie Universität Berlin offers this one-year, full-time MA program of 60 ECTS to an expected number of 20 students, many of whom are from the Middle East. The language of instruction is English.
Entry Requirements
- Above-average university degree proven by a transcript of records
- 240 ECTS credit points, at least 80 of which must be in one or more of the following disciplines: Islamic, Arabic, Jewish or Religious Studies, Philosophy and/or equivalent fields
- Excellent language proficiency in English and Arabic (C 1)
Fees and scholarships
- No tuition fees
- Scholarships for Palestinian and Israeli nationals
- Funds for travel and accommodation costs for all participants are in the process of being secured
Application period for the academic year 2016/17 will be open
from 15 April until 31 May 2016.
For more information: www.ihiw.de/master
For direct enquiries: ieiw@geschkult.fu-berlin.de
9. The Belfer Center’s Iran Project at the Harvard Kennedy School of
Government is now accepting applications for pre-doctoral and
post-doctoral fellowships for the 2016-2017 academic year. We seek
applicants whose research addresses issues of contemporary Iranian
affairs and can contribute to advancing scholarship on Iranian studies.
The 2016-2017 application period is now open and will close on January
15, 2016. Recommendations will be due on Monday, February 1, 2016.
More Information About the Fellowship ›
<http://links.hks-belfercenter.mkt4851.com/ctt?kn=9&ms=MTMzMTc1MTMS1&r=MTI2ODM1OTM5MTUS1&b=0&j=NjgxNzQzNTc1S0&mt=1&rt=0>
Fellowship Application and Guidelines ›
<http://links.hks-belfercenter.mkt4851.com/ctt?kn=13&ms=MTMzMTc1MTMS1&r=MTI2ODM1OTM5MTUS1&b=0&j=NjgxNzQzNTc1S0&mt=1&rt=0>
79 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
- December 24, 2015
- by Andrew Newman
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- December 24, 2015
- by Andrew Newman
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- December 23, 2015
- by Andrew Newman
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- December 22, 2015
- by Andrew Newman
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Shii News – Issue 2 of the Shi’a Studies Journal
Contents:
EDITORIAL By Prof Oliver Scharbrodt – p.1
CISS at BRAIS 2015 By Haider Al-Khateeb – p.2
دراسة حول بحث الخمس
مؤلف: نورمان كلدار
ترجمة: السيد فاضل بحر العلوم – p.4
RATIONALITY IN SHI‘A BELIEF AND PRACTICE By Dr Ali-Reza Bhojani – p.10
OBITUARY: AL-‘ALLAMAH DR SAYYID MUHAMMED BAHR AL-‘ULUM (1347-1436 AH / 1927-2015 CE) By Sayyid Amir Bahr al-‘Ulum – p.13
العالمة الدكتور السيد محمد بحر العلوم
مقالة منتقاة من كتيب نشر عن الفقيد بمناسبة رحيله اصدرته اسرة الفقيد في النجف – p.16
Graduate students, researchers and academics are invited to submit essays, book reviews and articles to Shi‘a Studies. For more information contact: info@shiastudies.org
- December 19, 2015
- by Andrew Newman
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- December 18, 2015
- by Andrew Newman
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